General Roméo Dallaire from Canada was the commander of the United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda deployed in late 1993 as part of a peace accord between the Rwandan government and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front.

US based-human rights activist Alison Des Forges had worked on Rwanda for years before the genocide began. When violence started in April 1994, she focused all her energy on publicizing the genocide and trying to provoke strong international response.

In 1994, Carl Wilkens directed the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International in Rwanda. His family evacuated when the genocide began, but Wilkens chose to stay to deliver aid to children in need despite the on-going violence.